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Was Chekov wearing a beatles wig? His hair did not look at all natural.
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@medous It actually was a wig in that style of fashion. It was also Walter Koenig first episode (in production order). He was brought in to appeal to a more younger audience. Imdb notes his hair was too short at the time therefore the bad wig.
Shout by FinFan
The first product placement in Star Trek History (maybe in TV History ?). Also the second appearance from Diana Muldaur as a leading guest actor.
The story isn't bad but it didn't really grip me. And I fail to see the described ugliness in the ambassador's appearance. But that could be on purpose because beauty indeed is subject to taste.
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@alexlimberg Yes, that's what I meant. And yes, it's rather irrelevant for the story but I like these tidbits.
Thanks for the reply.
Good plot in a way: the conflict between mind (Spock) and feelings (the psychologist); the burden of command: friendship and comradeship vs. doing what's right for the starship. I'm getting a bit tired of aliens with supernatural, mind-manipulating/telepathic powers disguising as humans though. I mean he's not really an alien. It's a mutation that turned an old comrade of Kirk into a dangerous foe. And Kirk does what Kirk does: a mano a mano solo til death. Who needs a crew anyway if you have two fists and a huge laser phallus.
Plus, I don't understand how they found their way back. Didn't they say the Enterprise was teleported light years across the galaxy? Or did I miss that? Or was that only the ancient ship that suffered that fate?
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@alexlimberg Did they actually say "teleported" ? I just watched the episode and didn't notice. Kirk's first log entry says the ship went missing 200 years ago. Nothing further. But you've got a point anyway. Even with Warp drive it should take a long time to get there. And back for that matter. Seven years to cross just one quadrant for Voyager (which is a faster ship). Ah, well it's the sixties - no one cared for that stuff.
The Romulans had Klingon ships because.......?
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@d-sel .... they got them from the Klingons. There was some form of alliance/agreement to share technology between them as they both saw the Federation as the bigger thread. And both sure were planing how to get rid of each other afterwards I'm sure.
Granted, those facts were established later. But I still think it works for this episode. It adds a bit of mystery.
Wait what?? Isn't the Romulan Commander Sarek????
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@d-sel Yes, Mark Lenard came back later to play Spock's father. He also played a Klingon in Star Trek - The Motion Picture
Anyone know why The Cage isn't included in the series??
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@d-sel It was rejected back then as a pilot by the studio and therefore is not part of the show as a standalone episode. Through this two parter the events did become part of the story.
Challenge those perceptions! Lessons for all to learn.
Yes! This is what the 5y mission is all about.
PS Can someone please decide on the colour, cut and material of the uniforms. Is communications blue, red or yellow? Turtleneck, crew or some kind of wrapped neck; it keeps changing. LOL
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@danio1972 This might sound weird and it's totally speculation on my behalf from a little info I read on imdb. My guess is they had to take what was at the ready as the union back then demanded the clothes to be washed every day. Since they were on a tight budget they probably hadn't uniforms in abundance. So they took what was clean.
Odd that Data would speak of reusing wrapping paper, when it's likely that quite literally everything—the gifts and the paper enclosing them—was replicated, and the discarded bits destined to be recycled back into the raw matter storage.
Eight hundred quadrillion bits must have sounded like quite a lot in 1989, but these days it sounds like a hundred petabytes. To put that number in perspective, Backblaze (a cloud-backup service) ordered about 100 PB of hard drives for Q4 2017 alone.¹ One blogger's back-of-the-napkin estimate from 2012² placed YouTube's annual storage growth needs at about 75 PB/year. An undated answer published on BBC Science Focus Magazine's website claims that the "big four" (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook) together store roughly 1,200 PB between them.³ Basically, any way you slice it, Data's storage capacity is almost laughably small by today's standards, thirty years later. (It's no wonder later Trek shows switched to more ambiguous units, like Voyager's "teraquads".)
And I didn't even start on Data's supposed computational performance of 60 trillion operations per second. Presuming those are floating-point operations—to give us a comparable frame of reference to today's (super)computers—Data's woefully inferior there, too, by today's standards. The fastest supercomputer I could find information on, the U.S. Department of Energy's Summit, can allegedly perform 200 quadrillion calculations per second, or PFLOPS. It scored well over 100 PFLOPS on the Linpack benchmark test, and was the first supercomputer to reach the exaop range.⁴ But at least Data is about 1,000 times faster than a high-end desktop PC CPU, which today clocks in at around 60 GFLOPS vs. Data's presumed 60 TFLOPS.
Finally, there's a bit of contradiction in terms of Data's rights. If he didn't have the right to resign, because he was considered an object and property of Starfleet, how did he have the right to apply to Starfleet Academy in the first place? The right to apply (and graduate) kind of implies the right to later resign from service.
"The Measure of a Man" is one of the most widely acclaimed episodes of all Star Trek, period, let alone within The Next Generation. Mostly, I think it—unlike The Office (UK)—lives up to its praise.
Picard is on top of his game as a master debater, if not a litigator. Riker gets to have a bit of character development through being forced to defend a position with which he vehemently disagrees. Oh, and a conversation with Guinan the Wise gets shoehorned in, just to build that relationship (between her and Picard) a bit more. (Apparently that was a last-minute addition to the script…)
The episode is a bit in-your-face with the philosophy at times, and I didn't remember the plot turning on a dime the way it did, but it's still very powerful to watch. It's a credit to the actors involved, as much as to the scriptwriters. (Who, I might add, forgot that Data can't use contractions. "You've constructed a positronic brain?" is not a question Data should have been able to ask, as worded.)
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/400-petabytes-cloud-storage/https://sumanrs.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/youtube-yearly-costs-for-storagenetworking-estimate/https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/how-much-data-is-on-the-internet/- Summit also has 250 PB of storage, compared to Data's mere 100 PB.
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@dgw I never thought about Datas capabilities when you compare them to our time (his past). I guess it is one of the concessions one has to make with, what is now, old sci fi.
I don't know for sure what computer was standard and what, if any, I was using in 1989. Could have been I had an Amiga. But you have a point that they could have been more bold with Data.
As for Data's rights I think that is a typical case of "whatever serves our (i.e. Starfleets) needs". Which makes the conversation between Picard and Guinan very important for the plot.
This episode was lots of dirt flying everywhere, the sound of shots being fired and people yelling.
It's all very confusing, and the fact that it feels like there's 50 different characters doesn't help.The ony face/name connection I can make is Winters'. Of all the other's I have no idea who is who.
I do like how it's all very desaturated. It gives the show this bleak, old-timey feeling.
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@abtr The ony face/name connection I can make is Winters'. Of all the other's I have no idea who is who.
It's interesting you see it that way because I always thought this is how it's supposed to be. I watch it for the third time and I always felt the story is told through Winter's eyes. In war soldiers come and go and you do forget a lot of them.
I don't know if you continued watching but if not I think you should. Granted, this show is not for everyone. But I think it's one of the best that's ever been produced.
This leaves all sorts of unanswered questions. Of course, the Trill introduced here is quite different from the ones we will come to know later and that can be explained away by all sorts of behind-the-scenes reasons, but within this very plain episode there are issues.
Riker takes on Odan as a human host (stretching believability to the extremes) so what happens to him? Does Riker just disappear? His personality doesn't seem to exist once he's got the symbiote inside him, so where is he? Does he have any influence over the Trill? Does he remember anything once it's taken out of him? DID WILL AND BEVERLY HAVE SEX?!
The ending has of course gone down in history as causing something of a stir among viewing audiences given the implied homosexuality. The only thing that shocks me is that Star Trek hasn't addressed this until this point and made it as commonplace as the many other social barriers it cut through. The scene is handled somewhat awkwardly, as if the writers were scared to speak plainly. Sure it was 1991, but the original series managed to laugh in the face of racism in the 1960s at the height of America's civil rights. It's telling and upsetting that fans were upset by any hint of it when you'd expect them to all be open minded and accepting, given that's the whole point of the show.
The episodes main failing, though, is that it doesn't feel romantic or genuine at all. The best scene in the episode for me actually turns out to be with Troi of all people, as she speaks fondly of her memories of her father. Quite beautiful.
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@lefthandedguitarist Riker takes on Odan as a human host (stretching believability to the extremes) so what happens to him? Does Riker just disappear? His personality doesn't seem to exist once he's got the symbiote inside him, so where is he? Does he have any influence over the Trill? Does he remember anything once it's taken out of him?
There is a deleted scene on the BluRay where this is adressed albeit very superficially. Odan, as Riker, states that he does feel the presence of Riker yet is confused about that. He knows things he shouldn't because he has Rikers knowledge. He also says that normaly a Trill host has no personality which makes it more difficult for him. So this indicated the initial Trill concept would have been just the symbiont. They really were different.
Enjoyably in depth look at Klingon culture. While the show has gone into it before, this episode really sets the template and kicks off a story arc for Worf that will continue across this series and DS9.
Tony Todd is amazing, as always. I also feel like we get to see a little of the real Picard slip through when he smirks at the old woman's line "he was too fat". Normally he has to stay very reserved but doesn't need to here.
Worf gets to shout the captain down, too. Don't see that often. The only slightly confusing thing is the discommendation ending: it's not explained, and I don't see how it differs from the verdict Worf would have received anyway.
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@lefthandedguitarist There is a difference between executing him and the discommendation.
If the Council would have upheld the accusation against Mogh, Worf had been executed. But that wouldn't have proven it. He still could have denied said accusations and there would have always been a shred of doubt left with some inside the Klingon Empire. By accepting the discommendation, he practically excepts his fathers involvement in the Khitomer massacre as fact by taking the blame. Now he is the son of traitor, exiled, shunned and disgraced without doubt. This has much more value for the Council.
This episode was lots of dirt flying everywhere, the sound of shots being fired and people yelling.
It's all very confusing, and the fact that it feels like there's 50 different characters doesn't help.The ony face/name connection I can make is Winters'. Of all the other's I have no idea who is who.
I do like how it's all very desaturated. It gives the show this bleak, old-timey feeling.
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@abtr Yes, it is repetitive. That's also the nature of war. But I also think this isn't so much about war as it is about the people who lived through it. I do understand though that this isn't for everyone. I have an interest in that part of history and therefore know what really happened. Maybe that's why it resonates more with me.
After a really promising set up it all got a bit silly, but I still found it quite enjoyable. The final scene on the shuttle with Janeway and Seven was quite lovely and heartfelt, although I would put that far more down to the performances rather than the script.
This episode may contain the first example in television history of two character resolving a serious misunderstanding based on false information by just having a quick conversation. Seriously, in most stories the Janeway/Chakotay standoff would have been the entire crux of an episode because fictional characters are usually incapable of talking to each other.
Did we ever get an explanation for the strange tractor beam in the image?
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No, we didn't. However, even the episode itself is inconclusive about if it is a tractor beam at all. When Seven asks if that is a tractor the computer replies "insufficient sensor data". So it could be a ghost image.
What I find more intriguing is the fact that Voyager did have that tri-cobalt warheads. A non standard device on a basic search and retrieve mission ? That is a red flag. Of course knowing Voyager it's probably just something the writer put in for the sake of the story not thinking anything about it. Which makes it odd that it was picked up here again. Maybe they were setting up for a conspiracy story. Or they put it in just in to give us nerds something to think about.
See, I can do what Seven did, too. :grinning:
"Vinculum" is a really silly word.
This episode is all about the killer performance from Jeri Ryan as she moves between completely different personalities. Great stuff. Her face completely changes for some of them. Outside of that, it's all kind of going through the motions. I was particularly surprised when the Doctor referred to the mind-meld as "Vulan mumbo-jumbo". Not very enlightened, eh, Doc?
The time frame for some of the Borg assimilations doesn't really seem right, either. Apparently a Federation starship was taken years before the Enterprise first encountered them.
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@lefthandedguitarist It is not quite clear when the Borg first came to the Alpha Quadrant. When Q brought the -D in contact it was the first time we saw them. The TNG episode "The Neutral Zone" talks about destroyed outposts along the border and there was the idea floating around that could have been the Bord responsible. From that you could assume they were around even earlier. And since "First Contact" we know the Borg can time travel.
It might be retcon but you can make the time frame work.
Review by LeftHandedGuitarist
This is the one. This is the episode where, back in 1999(?), I more or less gave up on Star Trek: Voyager. I caught a few more episodes over the next year or two, but my heart really wasn't in it anymore and this was the nail in the coffin.
It's an episode that fails in every way, made worse by the fact that it's attempting to make a valid point about blind hate and propaganda. The horrible icing on the cake is that, of all the characters, Chakotay is the one chosen to lead this outing.
The peculiar dialogue, while initially intriguing, quickly becomes tiresome and cheesy, and then infuriating. Especially given how seriously all the actors attempt to deliver it, and then once Chakotay begins to use it it's unbearable.
In a lazy move, the Kradin appear to just be a slight variation on Nausicaans. The episode ends with an unbelievable act of stupidity on the Voyager crew's part when they bring the Kradin ambassador to meet Chakotay and wonder why the Commander is uncomfortable. HE'S JUST BEEN BRAINWASHED TO HATE THEM.
How many shuttlecraft does Voyager have? This is the third to be lost in the last three episodes.
Apparently it may take some time for Chakotay to get over this, but don't worry everyone - he'll have forgotten all about it next week. Just like this episode forgot that Tom and B'Elanna professed their love for each other last week after a whole year of trying to get us to believe it.
To see a show which tackled a somewhat similar subject and did it very well, see the Stargate SG-1 episode 'The Other Side'.
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@lefthandedguitarist >Just like this episode forgot that Tom and B'Elanna professed their love for each other last week after a whole year of trying to get us to believe it.
I can actually explain that but I have to go nerd here. They didn't mention it because it hasn't happened.
This episodes Stardate translates into January 31th of that year. The episode Day of Honor has an unknown Stardate, however the next one Revulsion has one. Its 51186.2 which is March 9th. And here Tom say to B'Elanna that it has been three days since she told him about her love. Which puts that event around March 6th. Ergo - it hasn't happened.
Voyager always did a bad job in terms of chronology.
Shout by LeftHandedGuitarist
This didn't work for me at all. If you're going to try and do something a bit different for an episode, at least make it about our characters and not some guest stars (who quickly become irritating). To top it off, it ends with Chakotay giving a speech that fails to save him or his crewmates. Way to go, Commander Bland.
I couldn't reconcile the idea of the Voth either. A reptilian species who live in a galaxy populated with all sorts of alien mammals, and yet it's humans that are the sole ones of interest to them because they share some genetic markers? Nope, that doesn't work. Especially since TNG established that all humanoid species evolved from a common alien ancestor.
The pretty important message about challenging societal beliefs gets lost in the mess.
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@lefthandedguitarist > Especially since TNG established that all humanoid species evolved from a common alien ancestor.
I actually went back to Memory Alpha to make sure.
That alien told them they put their genetic code in the primordial oceans (!) of those worlds. Their hope was that more species will develop from them. So the line is still intact since the Dinosaurs, too, came from those oceans. Therefore they are in accordance with the TNG episode.
Daniel Davis is an underappreciated talent.
I haven't much to say about the episode itself except:
- It shouldn't be possible for Moriarty to be anywhere near the threat that he is, because it should be impossible for holodeck characters to perceive anything outside the parameters of their program.
- Despite the huge plot hole, the Holmes-themed episodes of TNG are always fun anyway.
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@dgw As far as I understand the computer gave Moriaty the abilites in order to defeat Data. In theory that means the computer gave itself those abilities. Which raises the question: was Data trying to defeat the Enterprise computer in the form of Moriaty ? So was this a contest between two AIs ?
I thought the Borg were a formidable foe until I watched this episode. It's impressive (and somewhat creepy) how quickly and easily Data can take over the Enterprise and leave everyone defenseless (or even simply killing everyone on board with minimum effort). Hacking Data must be quite the fun hobby in the future.
It's always fun to see Lore, but the whole "family reunion" thing was rather underwhelming.
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@misnomer Voyager was definately over-borged but I really liked Seven. Not because of her looks - well, OK, yes a bit of that too - but because she was opposition to Janeway where the rest of the crew was mostly the little ducklings walking behind Mother Duck.
But I agree, the Borg were better in TNG - singleminded and much more dangerous.
This isn't a bad episode but as a season finale it's disappointing. Imdb says that four episodes where held back but doesn't corroborate as to why that was the case. Even if there was a reason of ending the season short, choosing this episode as the last had no upside.
As a stand alone episode this was good material. Actually adressing the problems that come with incorporating Marquis into a crew run by Starfleet regulations and not only talking about it. Having Tuvok being the one teaching them was also the right choice as he certainly is a stickler for regulation. Of course we reach the only possible conclusion that both sides have to take a step towards the other. Funny how Neelix, of all people, is the one who has to make that clear for Tuvok who does not see this logical conclusion himself. Especially since he hasn't bend rules before.
Of course we also need a threat against the ship but that b-story with Neelix's cheese infecting the gel packs.....let's just say that was an eyeroller."Take the cheese to sickbay" (insert Picard meme here)
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@andrewbloom Thanks for the info. Haven't heard that before but it makes sense. It always felt as if they just ended the season without thinking too much about if the episode makes a good finale.
"The 37's" would have made a better finale if they ended on a cliffhanger with crew members deciding to stay. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
This could have been an interesting story about the pros and cons of keeping someone on life support and the question of euthanasia. Probably too early to do something drastic and with Neelix behavior it would have been hard to pull it off anyway.
The look of the Vidiians is actually quite creepy and I am not surprised to see Bragas name coming up on the script. They, too, are an interesting species and the moral dilemma Janeway is confronted with was solved a bit too easy.
What bugs me the most is how the dialogue plays out most of the time and how things are portrayed. F.e. Neelix's toxic levels are rising up to point of almost 100 % and the next moment they are back to normal. They are not dropping but are right back to where they need to be. I know, it's me being petty but it's just one example of many.Is the Intrepid class the only ship that has a seperate dining hall for the captain? I don't recall this on any other ship. An officer's mess - sure. But just for the cap? Isn't that a bit opulent and a waste of space on a rather small ship ? She's got a ready room, a cabin AND a dining hall. Sounds more like a queen than a captain.
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@andrewbloom you are right, he did. But wasn't that one rather small? I always thought of it more like an extension to his quarters.
Review by LeftHandedGuitarist
EDIT: I changed my mind. Looking back, I liked this show more than I say I did. The cast are fun and likeable, even if I never fell in love with their characters.
Hey, everyone, I made it! I got through my least favourite Star Trek show for the first time after numerous attempts. And I have to say, I didn't completely hate the journey.
But, this is how it ends? That's it? What a thoroughly disappointing way to finish things. The finale introduces some random new plot elements that really don't work and just come out of nowhere (Tuvok's disease and the Chakotay/Seven relationship - which did have some hints but they were completely from Seven's imagination, so this feels jarring), and worst of all we get no proper resolution to so many things.
Voyager arrives back home and there's zero emotional payoff; we don't get to see their welcome back or any reunions with family and friends. Tom's father is on the screen when they make it back and doesn't acknowledge his son sitting right there. What's going to happen to the Maquis crew members now? B'Elanna gives birth but we don't get introduced to the baby or even find out what they name her. Seven asks to have the Doctor perform the procedure on her which will "unlock" her ability to feel the full range of emotions, but we don't even know if he actually does that. In just the previous episode, the Doctor declared his love for Seven but that's not addressed at all.
Instead, the final episode decides to spend its time on another dull Borg story that feels like it lacks any impact. Voyager has defeated these guys so many times now that it feels pointless for them to keep encountering them (and this time they have convenient future tech). Yes, it's nice to have Alice Krige reprise her role as the Borg Queen, but the episode doesn't actually do anything interesting with her. The entire bullheaded mission of future Admiral Janeway is dubious at best and depicts her as extremely selfish.
The entire show was a missed opportunity to do something interesting, and it chose to stay as safe as possible all the way through. Any time the series did do something good, it was forgotten about and not mentioned again (remember when Seven's nanites were discovered to be a cure for death? Sure would have been useful to do that again. Remember the previous episode when the Delta Flyer's communications were destroyed so Janeway transmitted a message through the deflector? Why hasn't that been used in the uncountable times communications were down?).
The show had some really good characters, though. The Doctor was the standout by a long way and the introduction of Seven was a good move. Captain Janeway is inconsistent in her actions and motives, but Kate Mulgrew was never less than fantastic in the role. I just wish everyone had some evolution across the show. Harry, Tom, Tuvok, Neelix, Chakotay: they really never changed their personalities (and this even applies to the Doctor and Seven). There's an argument that everyone became a better person, but I say that nothing about them actually evolved. The fact remains that I just don't care about characters like Tuvok or Chakotay, because they never felt like real people.
Still, it is an easy and entertaining watch and in the end it is Star Trek and delivers a lot of the storytelling and universe that makes me feel cosy. I just probably won't watch it again (hmm... maybe if it's given an HD upgrade and released on blu-ray). I know the show has a lot of fans and if you like it then that's great, but I don't think I'll ever quite understand why.
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@lefthandedguitarist Still, it is an easy and entertaining watch and in the end it is Star Trek and delivers a lot of the storytelling and universe that makes me feel cosy. I just probably won't watch it again (hmm... maybe if it's given an HD upgrade and released on blu-ray). I know the show has a lot of fans and if you like it then that's great, but I don't think I'll ever quite understand why.
I can get 100 % behind that. The HD upgrade will probably never happen since it is too expensive. Same with DS9. I don't know how many times I've now watched Voyager but it must have been at least 4-5 times over the years. Like I did with all the other shows up to Enterprise.
Sadly, every time I watched VOY I liked it less while with the rest it's the other way around.
Janeway is justified, but a complete tool in this episode. She would have done the same thing in a similar situation. In fact, any respect I had for her is completely gone.
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@wpafbo79 it took you that long loosing respect ? For me that already happened somewhere in season two.
Once the body-swapping stuff begins it manages to become more fun that it initially suggested it would be. I was impressed that Dan Butler managed to work some of Robert Duncan McNeill's mannerisms as Tom into his performance. But overall, this episode doesn't really do anywhere near enough with the premise. The swap into Janeway seemed a little bit nonsense to me, and it's all wrapped up easily after that. There's some godawful exposition in the dialogue at points, too.
It's kind of odd now to see Paris acting like a brat (even before he gets swapped with Steth). Looks like he's suffering from depression, which the episode didn't really bother to address. That would be something I'd like to see.
Did I miss something, or did the coaxial warp drive work fine after Tom added his carburettor? Are the Voyager crew ignoring a perfectly good method of getting them home faster again?
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@lefthandedguitarist Hey, it's Voyager. They didn't bother explaining why Tom all off a sudden is unhappy. Why should they bother explaining about that propulsion method ?
I can't take much more of Chakotay's akoo-chee-moya bullshit.
This feels like it's all been done before, and from the moment Chakotay first "wakes up", you're expecting him to still be in the dream. His entire plan relied on being able to see Earth's moon - that's pretty dumb since he's lost in the Delta Quadrant.
Extremely weak aliens, too.Tuvok sure shows a lot of emotion (mostly embarrassment) for a Vulcan, and I'm disappointed that Janeway again shows her lack of leadership ability by plunging headfirst into a lethal situation (the warp core breach) with no regard for the consequences.
In what world is being kissed by Seven of Nine considered a nightmare? Harry is weird.
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@lefthandedguitarist I so enjoy reading your comments after writing mine because more often than not we're on the same page.
If you can get over all the quite terrible stuff involving the main cast, this episode is all about John Rhys Davies and his great performance as Da Vinci. He brings a huge amount of class to proceedings, and I really enjoyed all of his interactions with Janeway. I have to admit that I did struggle to keep all my attention on the episode, though. It's never particularly exciting, and all the equipment (including the MAIN COMPUTER?!) being stolen at the start is so stupid.
A bit of a coincidence that the flying machine just happened to be on top of the hill where Janeway and Da Vinci transported to, no? How long had Leonardo been on the planet before Voyager got there?
The scene with Harry and Seven felt unfinished, as well as the subplot involving the Doctor being frustrated at being trapped in sickbay.
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@lefthandedguitarist >How long had Leonardo been on the planet before Voyager got there?
Janeway's log entry says it took them ten days to find the stolen equipment. But he sure did a lot of things in that amount of time.
A standard, average episode made a bit more interesting by the ever reliable Leland Orser. The Seven/Harry stuff was mostly enjoyable too. Annoyingly, it looks like the B'Elanna/Tom relationship is still moving at a snail's pace despite what's happened (I'm a bit surprised that it's only been "3 days" since they declared their love for each other).
Orser's character is pleasingly creepy and actually quite intimidating at times, even though the script pushes things way over the top. An impressive child-like performance which sells it. The electrical cable that finally does him in is telegraphed very early on and a little too obviously.
I like the suggestion that Seven has a sense of humour. And it's kind of hilarious that Harry STILL doesn't get laid even when its offered to him on a platter. This can be regarded as a very inappropriate scene, but I think that Seven is playing with him and very much in charge of the situation.
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@lefthandedguitarist >but I think that Seven is playing with him and very much in charge of the situation.
Oh, she most definitely is !
Neelix: Darn it, I'm going on this away team and I just can't get Tuvok to respect me.
Tuvok: I do not respect you, Neelix.
Neelix: But look, I can save our lives in an emergency.
Tuvok: I now respect you, Neelix.Could this episode be any more formulaic? Also, that's one of the worst space battles I've ever seen, Voyager just sits there and gets shot.
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@lefthandedguitarist > Also, that's one of the worst space battles I've ever seen, Voyager just sits there and gets shot.
I've noticed that a lot how often they just tell what is happening instead of showing it. Were they tight on budget ?
The most interesting thing here is the mind-controlling alien itself. It shows a level of either control or technology that hasn't really been done before, and that makes it kind of fascinating.
The hallucinations that everyone has are unfortunately very obvious and unadventurous. Particularly cringeworthy is the stuff with Paris and his father; daddy issues have never felt so dull. Far better is the revelation that B'Elanna kind of wants to get it on with Chakotay, and true to her Klingon heritage she wants him to be forceful about it. Not something I'm particularly eager to see, but it did manage to take me by surprise. Tuvok was a particular let down with his "I ... do not ... understand ... how this is ... possible". Seriously? There's a mind controlling alien giving you hallucinations, Tuvok, it's pretty obvious. You're supposed to be a logical and clever Vulcan, act like one.
Janeway's holodeck fantasy is a fun diversion despite some of the actors involved. For all its silliness, it's managed to create a compelling mystery (WHAT IS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR?!). However, having had cucumber sandwiches myself I can say with certainty that they are never something worth fantasising about.
Kes continues to develop her mental abilities and comes out, again, as the best part of the story.
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@lefthandedguitarist >WHAT IS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR?!
I don't remember it ever being adressed but I think he's got his dead wife there. Pure fantasy on my behalt, though. That whole holonovel has somewhat of a creepy edge to it.
Quite unimpressed with this one. I make fun of Voyager for using the reset button, but this episode ACTUALLY RESETS EVERYTHING AT THE END. It makes it all rather pointless, as none of it ever happens. Which is a shame, because the Janeway/Paris pairing was working quite well, and they had a lot things to teach each other. I feel more on Tom's side in that the Prime Directive should never apply when an entire planet is going to be wiped out (this was touched on not long ago in the TNG episode 'Homeward').
A thinly veiled criticism of nuclear power is all fine and well, though no real points are made other than "it's too dangerous". The alien civilisation they encounter (did they even both to not make them look human this time?) all wear the terrible same clothes, and the forced friendship story between Tom and the little boy was quite horrible to watch.
Kes's weird telepathic abilities are quite cool, but since everything resets I guess she doesn't remember anything about what it all means.
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@lefthandedguitarist to be fair, in this instant, it actually didn't happen. Or wouldn't. Or whatever. So in that regard it is, at least theoretically, correct.
But I get your point and you're certainly right about them disregarding what happened before a lot. They took the episodic storytelling to far.
Isn't that a coincidence that Pa Riker shows up after Will mentioned him in the last episode ?
Well, it's not a bad one. It gives character background, which is never a bad thing. Althought, the way they mended their difficulties was a bit too Hollywood. Plus, those suits look silly now. And the connection to Dr. Pulaski felt out of nowhere. Granted, she's only just on board for a brief time now, but you being in love with a fellow colleagues father ? I think that would have come up. Well, maybe I am a bit picky.
One thing from the logic department: how do pain sticks cause pain on the holodeck ? Aren't there safeguards in place ? Usually they are mentioning it when those are turned of. OK, I am being picky again.
In hindsight it was obvious Riker wouldn't accept the promotion. As he will turn down others in the future. Loosing him would be like loosing........hmm. Whom, now? Who does Riker stand for compared to TOS. He's Number One. Which was Spock. Who himself is more represented by Data. Never really thought about that.loading replies
@andrewbloom Yes, they split the TOS trinity up amongst the main characters. Which was a major reason for changing doctors because they felt Crusher didn't represent McCoy's roughness enough. But I always thought they overdid that part with Pulaski who seemed to not have the right to be so confrontational.
But, yes, Riker does share many attributes with Kirk. And ultimately him not getting, or taking, a command earlier probably served the character well in becoming a better captain because of that.
